Yesterday, January 26, 2009, the long-delayed trial of Thomas Lubanga finally began at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The first trial of the ICC, Lubanga is accused of having committed war crimes consisting of conscripting child soldiers into his militia, the "Forces patriotiques pour la libération du Congo" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The trial is expected to last several months.
For those of us who worked so hard over so many years to see the International Criminal Court become a reality, this is a great day. My hope is that this will be not just a fair and expedient trial, but also one that is publicly seen as such by the world.
You can watch the trial live from the ICC website. The complete press release from the ICC is available here.
You can read analysis of the progress of the trial on the ICC Now blog.